Love and War

Lucian busied himself heating up the pancakes and waffles while Violette went ahead to freshen up. Ten minutes later, they had their breakfast and proceeded to clean the plates and utensils in silence.

Lucian washed his hands under the sink tap and turned it off before looking around for something when he saw Violette extend a hand towel to him. His lips curled up into a small smile as he took the towel from her and wiped his hands dry.

"Okay then… you ready?" he asked, as he threw the towel aside and smiled at her.

Violette nodded and turned around as she walked up to the bed and sat down before picking up her flat-heeled ankle boots lying aside and slowly slipped her feet in. She then stood up and grabbed her bag and jacket from the bed as she turned to Lucian again.

Lucian watched her gather all her things and felt an empty, lonely feeling building inside. He realized he didn't want her to leave but he also knew it'd be uncomfortable for her to stay here in an RV Coach. However luxurious and cozy it may be, not everyone can live in an enclosed space on wheels.

He shook off his thoughts and grabbed the car keys from the kitchen counter when he heard a familiar ringtone. He followed the sound and turned to the couch as he stepped closer and picked up his mobile. But when he saw the long Caller ID flashing on the screen, his face turned somber.

[The Coolest, Smartest and The Most Handsome Senior Brother] calling.

He rejected the call and pushed his mobile into his pants pocket as he looked at Violette.

"So, shall we?" he asked again, putting the smile back on his face.

Violette gave him a curt nod and they both made their way out of the RV. Lucian opened the door, climbed down and turned around as he offered his hand to Violette.

She was surprised but took his hand without any hesitation and let him help her down the steps. And as they began heading towards the silver SUV, they heard Lucian's phone ring again.

He pulled his phone out from his pants pocket and glanced at the Caller ID before he rejected the call and shoved the mobile back into his pocket. But after a second thought, he pulled it out again and switched it into silent mode before he pocketed it again with a victorious smirk on his face.

Violette caught a glimpse of the Caller ID and realized who that might be. And as she watched the little scene play out right beside her, she found that, other than the calm front he shows consciously and the clueless side that comes out occasionally, Lucian also had a petty side to him.

She found him adorable and pursed her lips to hold back a smile as she carefully darted her eyes to the side, to sneak a peek at the 'petty' man walking beside her.

"Lucian." They heard a young, feminine voice from nearby and saw the girl from the food trailer last night jogging towards them.

She must be about 16 or 17 years old with an average height and petite figure. She was wearing a white shirt and grey jeans with a red and white checked apron wrapped around her torso. Her dark brown hair was in messy curls as it fell over on both sides of her shoulders as she skipped over.

"Joan?" Lucian stopped walking and turned towards the girl. "Is everything okay?"

The young girl – Joan, stood in front of him with a big smile on her face. "Yeah, I was out setting up the tables when I saw you. And 'her.'" She emphasized, as she leaned to the side to peek at Violette who stood quietly on the other side of Lucian.

"Won't you introduce me to your wife?" Joan asked teasingly as she rocked back and forth on her tiptoes.

Violette raised her head at the word 'wife' and glanced at the girl – curious to learn about her relationship with Lucian.

He however, rejected her without any hesitation. "No."

"What? Why?" Joan asked, her brown eyes staring at him in confusion, wondering if it was because of something she did.

Lucian noticed the sadness flicker in her eyes and didn't know how to explain it to her.

"Joanna!" They heard a woman's angry yell and followed it to see a strong and sturdy woman with a similar messy, dark brown hair stalking in their direction.

"Eeek, Mum!" Joanna jumped up in fright and turned around as she prepared herself for a scolding.

The woman – Joan's Mum came to a halt in front of Joan, with hands on her hips and a glare directed at her daughter.

"I told you to set up the tables. What are you dilly-dallying here for?" she barked at her daughter, not minding that they were outside with others present.

"But, Mum…" Joan whined, as she dragged her words in order to appear cute. But her mum was unrelenting and did not give her the chance to proceed with the act.

"No buts." she cut her off and then turned to Lucian with a warm smile. "Morning, Lucian. Did you have breakfa-"

"Oh my…" She was taken aback in surprise to find a woman standing beside him. But she soon realized who that might be and her whole face brightened up with anticipation. "And this young lady is…"

Joan let out a sigh of relief that her mum was off her case and then turned to Lucian with an equally thrilled look on her face.

Lucian was stuck in a dilemma. He was skeptical about introducing Violette to anyone so soon, as he didn't want to put her in the spotlight before they could get accustomed to each other.

Violette was thoroughly amused by the mother-daughter duo who were attacking Lucian with their sparkling eyes and joyous smiles. She felt envious of them as a bittersweet feeling spread in her heart.

Lucian was thinking up excuses to politely refuse the mother and daughter when he felt a tug from behind. He looked back and saw Violette let go of his shirt and nodding at him.

He was surprised by her actions and more so as he understood the intention behind it. He raised his brow at her as though asking 'are you sure?' and Violette responded with a casual shrug of her shoulders.

Lucian felt his lips twitch into a smile at her laid back attitude. How was it possible that she could be cold and closed off, not to mention extremely complicated and yet still behave in such a silly and childish manner.

Violette understood that Lucian was trying to give her time and space to adjust to things before merging their lives together. And for that, she appreciated him. And with the way he treated her since they met in the hospital, she could tell he was sincere.

Joan and her Mum who stood just a few feet away, saw the short interaction between the couple and muffled their giggles with their hands but their delight was clear in their crescent eyes.

Lucian ignored the hearts and flowers floating around the mother-daughter duo and cleared his throat to pull them out of their reverie.

"Beth and Joan, meet my wife, Violette." He introduced calmly, as Violette looked at the two and nodded in greeting.

Joanna and her mum turned to her with a smile but their eyes went wide at the sight of the glaring scars on Violette's face and stood speechless.

Lucian ignored their reaction and turned to Violette and pointed towards the two as he spoke again.

"She is Bethany and her daughter Joanna. They run the food trailer across the lot. Our dinner last night was prepared by them."

Violette looked at him as her lips made an 'o' and nodded in acknowledgment.

Lucian noticed the stupefied look on the two women but he had confidence that they won't judge Violette because of her appearance so he didn't give any further explanation and let them form their own opinions.

At the same time, Violette was used to such reactions and was no longer bothered by them so she simply stood there quietly.

Bethany was quick to recover as she reverted back to her smiling face and spoke in her usual manner. "Right, how was your dinner yesterday? Did you like my enchiladas?"

Then she noticed her rude daughter was still staring blankly at Violette, so she gave her a not-so-gentle nudge.

"Whoa?" Joan stumbled a couple steps and looked at her mum as if she was unjustly wronged. But Beth simply gave her a scowl, telling her to behave.

Joan stuck her tongue out at her mum and turned to Violette with a beaming smile of her own. "Forget the enchiladas. Did you try the pancakes?"

"What do you mean 'forget the enchiladas'?" Beth questioned, taking offence at her daughter's statement.

"It means they are just regular and nothing special. But my pancakes are-."

"How dare you?" Bethany cut in with a gasp and grabbed her disrespectful daughter's ear.

"Oww…" Joan whined as she tried to free her ear from her mum's clutches. "That's unfair, Mum. You are using violence to suppress me."

"Everything is fair in love and war. And this is both love and war. Hmph." Bethany made her point but still let her daughter free.

Joan didnt know how to respond to that absurd argument and took a step back as she began massaging her ear and rolled her eyes at her mum.

"Don't you roll your eyes at me, young lady." Beth chided her with her hands on her hips.

"What, now I cant even roll my eyes?" Joan felt exasperated and threw her hands up in frustration.

"Nope. Not at me. And not if you want to stay with me." Beth declared with a proud look on her face.

"You… you are being a bully." Joan stomped her feet as she glared at her mum in indignation.

"Yes I am. And what can you do about it?" Beth crossed her arms and raised her head high with a smug smile on her face as she watched her daughter fuming in rage.

Joan could do nothing but swallow her anger and turn her head away so she should not have to look at that provocative smile on her Mum's face.

Lucian couldn't stand back and watch anymore so stepped forward and separated the two. "Ladies, please…"

But before he could speak further, he heard a sweet laughter echoing from behind and turned around in shock and surprise.